York one of the courses that would love to host Constitution Hill

Nicky Henderson has plenty of thinking to do with regard to the direction Constitution Hill’s career on the Flat may take – but the excitement and clamour from the racecourses who could be graced by his presence this summer is already building.

The Melbourne Cup was mooted as a possible end destination for the pre-eminent jumps star turned tantalising Flat prospect following his imperious debut under the Southwell floodlights, and given York plays host to the Australian showpiece’s only ‘win and your’re in’ contest, it would be no surprise if the Sky Bet Ebor was pencilled into Constitution Hill’s worksheet.

The Knavesmire is absolutely no stranger to welcoming the cream of the Flat racing through its historic gates, with memorable victories from the likes of Sea The Stars, Frankel, Baaeed and City Of Troy from this century alone etched into racing folklore.

And if Constitution Hill was to become the latest racing superstar to grace the hallowed grounds he would be following in the footsteps of former dual-purpose great and fellow Champion Hurdle hero Sea Pigeon, who landed the Ebor in 1979.

James Brennan, head of marketing and sponsorship at York, said: “It would be terrific to see him at York and I know lots of people will be talking to them and it must be an exciting time for them, as Nicky has a whole new Pattern book to play with and a whole new schedule to try to plan.

“There’s been talk of the Melbourne Cup and the Sky Bet Ebor is the only global ‘win and you’re in’ into the race that stops the nation. If you wanted to play a two-step game here, you could paint a picture of him winning one of our ‘Race to the Ebor’ races, whether that’s the Jorvick Handicap on the opening day of our season or the Grand Cup in June, which would get him automatically in the Ebor.

“They are going to have lots of interesting options and there’s been so many races mentioned in dispatches in the last 48 hours or so and what a treat in store it will be for the Flat racing community.”

He went on: “We’re honoured at York to have welcomed many great champions over the years. Whether that’s Frankel or the various sprinters down the years and lots of people will also have a very fond memory of one of the great cross-overs, Sea Pigeon, winning the Ebor many moons ago.

“We saw at Southwell how Constitution Hill is such a big draw card and we love seeing the stars at York, with the York crowd acknowledged for turning out for those stars.”

It is Newbury’s John Porter Stakes that many see as the perfect next step on Constitution Hill’s Flat journey, an option that brings added appeal given the course’s proximity to Henderson’s Seven Barrows base and its early-season position in the calendar bringing the prospect of ease in the ground.

The Dubai Duty Free-sponsored Group Three event on April 18 will be run for an increased prize-fund of £95,000 this year and George Hill, clerk of the course and head of racing at Newbury, said: “The John Porter has been won by the likes of Hamish, Al Aasy and Defoe in recent years and the going is typically on the easier side with it being the start of the season.

“There have been times when it’s been good to firm or we’ve watered, but usually it’s on the good to soft side, so you would love to think it would be one of the first options Constitution Hill has.

“He’s a local horse and the trainer and owner have always supported us. It would be great to have him here to run on the Flat so it will be interesting where connections decide to go.”

Henderson will take his time in mapping out a plan and will consult five-time champion jockey Oisin Murphy, who rode Constitution Hill at Southwell, before committing to a schedule.

Henderson said on his X account: “I want to have a chat with Oisin, now we know what we are doing, and see what he thinks we should be looking at next.

“We could run in another novice, but it’s not as if he needs the education, and at his age we might as well get on with it; he’s not a big green baby so we will probably kick on.

“He will have a little break but is very fit and may have that edge on his side if we are to be looking at Flat races in the spring.

“Many have suggested the John Porter, which I seem to remember has always been a good race, so perhaps we could start there, but then others have mentioned, Chester, Doncaster, Goodwood and Epsom, therefore we do appear to have lots of options and I’m sure we will all have plenty of fun along the way.”